Anelka - Quenelle gesture

[QuartzGooner]

Anelka does a "Quenelle" as a goal celebration then the manager says it is just a "Friendly gesture of support to a comedian he knows well?".

If Terry got a four match ban for abuse to Anton Ferdinand then so should Anelka for this, which is nothing but a hate mongering gesture.

I do not buy the defence that Anelka was just making a friendly gesture it is a well publicised gesture in France and it's intent is unequivacably anti-Semitic.

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/ ... le-2966787

[LDB]

Why not make a new thread for this rather then drag up one with 3 pages of posts about whether we should have signed him 2 years ago?

It is an interesting story though, I've never heard of the gesture before. People who use it say it's an anti-establishment gesture? Not sure the FA will be that keen to get involved in french politics but you never know.

[armchair]

Why not make a new thread for this rather then drag up one with 3 pages of posts about whether we should have signed him 2 years ago?

It is an interesting story though, I've never heard of the gesture before. People who use it say it's an anti-establishment gesture? Not sure the FA will be that keen to get involved in french politics but you never know.

Mate. Was thinking exactly the samre thing but didnt wat to post about it after the row about mods changing members thread titles and merging threads etc.

This is a typical exaple where a new thread is merited. Not just change an old thread that had slipped of the front page yonks ago and faded from relevence because it has "Anelka" in the title ffs.

Maybe we should only have one thread total entitled "Arsenal" then the trigger-happy mods can change the title every time something changes.

[QUARTZ - New thread made.]

[armchair]

Dunno if its an Anti -semetic or anti-zionist? Either way it has no place on the football pitch

I also hate the way every single player now points two index fingers up to the "sky" and looks up after they score. Dunno why but it really bothers me. They're even doing it now as they com on the pitch as a sub ffs.
Think Messi was the first I seen doing this celebration but now theyre all at it.

Thanks Quartz.

[QuartzGooner]

The gesture is anti-Semitic, anti-Zionist and a hate gesture.

The comedian Dieudonne who invented it or customised it as his own has a career made off the back of anti-Semitism and hate speech.
A look at his act (and my French is basic, but I can understand enough to work out the gist of what he says) confirms this.

In the light of the tensions in France (lots of anti Jewish attacks, terrorist attack in Lyon etc.) it is a clearly provocative gesture.

There is enough trouble over here too.

Not that Wikipedia is the last word in anything but a read of his page shows what he does.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dieudonn%C ... a_M%27bala

[rodders999]

Anelka has always been a bit of a dopey bastard so this comes as no surprise.

[topgoon]

Pardon my ignorance but just seen the pic of the gesture in what way is it anti-semitic, is it an unsubtle upside down Nazi salute.

[Red Gunner]

The gesture seems to be popular with other famous French athletes too...



(Tony Parker)



(Boris Diaw)



(Teddy Riner)



(Jerome Le Banner)



(Mathieu Deplagne)



(Samira Nasri)



(Sakho)



(Anelka)

Henry once met with this comedian:





I don't think the gesture is sinister at all, it just seems to be a fad. Much ado about nothing.

[northbank123]

Can't honestly say I knew anything about this gesture before but at the very least seems extremely naive on his behalf. If it is widely knows as an anti-Semitic gesture imo that is grounds to punish him even if he claims it was intended in a different context.

[officepest]

I'm pretty sure Anelka converted to Islam quite some time ago so I would expect him to be politically savvy enough to know this would cause a shit-storm.

It's either naivety or deliberately provocative but I don't know enough to draw a proper conclusion.

[clockender1]

It's definitely anti Zionist , so it's political - like giving a black power salute.

It's not anti-semetic - it's anti the state of Israel, which is not the same as being anti- Jewish.

Many Hasidic Jews are anti Zionist on religious grounds, that doesnt make them anti-semetic.

Anelkas a knob. Politics has no place in football - like Gazza playing the flutes, he should get a ban IMHO.

[Leyton Gooner]

Kick politics out of football. It's meant to be an escape from that shit

[QuartzGooner]

It's definitely anti Zionist , so it's political - like giving a black power salute.

It's not anti-semetic - it's anti the state of Israel, which is not the same as being anti- Jewish.

Many Hasidic Jews are anti Zionist on religious grounds, that doesnt make them anti-semetic.

Anelkas a knob. Politics has no place in football - like Gazza playing the flutes, he should get a ban IMHO.

1.)

How I see it, the main point is that Dieudonne's material is aggressively offensive, openly including Holocaust denying themed "Jokes" and songs and he recently questioned why he was not asked to appear on a morning radio show in France, he criticised the host for being Jewish and said it was a shame there were no gas chambers left.

In the context of French politics all of the above sports people knew what they were doing....with a background of the "Tribe KA" a street fighting group of young Black Frenchmen who would march through Jewish areas of Paris it is a politically loaded gesture, and bizarre of Henry to have had his photo taken with Dieudonne.
France right now is a tinderbox, Dieudonne kindles the flame of hatred.


2.)

This will be going off an a bit of a tangent from the thread but -
Dieudonne is not just anti the State of Israel, he is anti any Jew living in Israel, or France for that matter.

"Anti-Zionist not Anti-Semitic" - is a moot point.
There are Hasidic and other religious Jews who serve in the Israeli army.
They are not keen on the secular aspects of political Zionism
(Such as the concept of a "New Jew" as espoused by former Prime Minister Ben Gurion, someone not especially religious but tech savvy, more an "Israeli" than a "Jew".
And they are not keen on the idea of Israeli nationalism replacing Jewish religious study.
But they recognise the need for a state of Israel to allow Jews to live in relative safety in the land of Israel, and pay taxes.
And plenty of Hasidic and other Jews who are not keen on the state of Israel still live there too, regardless.

There is also the issue of denying Israel's existence as a country based on what I can only call "De Judiasation", refuting that Israel existed 3000 years ago etc.
The Palestinian Authority do this, but they also claim ownership of the 2000 year old Dead Sea Scrolls which are written in....Hebrew!

Dieudonne is a Hamas supporter...that means no compromise with any Jews anywhere.

[Cockerill's chin]

I agree with Quartz here. Dieudonne has undermined any argument he may have had regarding anti-establishment and anti-Zionist principles with his obscene anti-Semitic remarks. He seems to have piggy backed on legitimate concerns to create an air of acceptability to anti-Semitic behaviour which is entirely unacceptable. Anelka deserves his ban if the FA see fit to charge him.

You have to differentiate, however, between anti-Zionist and anti-semetism or you may create a boundary where any criticism of national policies can be termed as racism which is a very dangerous territory.

[shu]

You cant tell me that the Nasri and his buddy are posing for a racist offensive picture , i think for most it is probably a fad and it has its effect if it has wound you up.
You know how it is in this country , had Anelka spoken some crap he would have got away with it because of all the freedom of speech crap that certain people have got away with for years .
I remember a posting re the anniversary of 9/11 and receiving a threatening personal message from someone who is still on this site from Northern Ireland telling me in no uncertain terms to F off as he was pro terrorist.

So thanks but no thanks